I searched all the threads, and didn’t find any mention of this. There’s a hint in the conversation between Hat&Cloak and Zabini: namely, the fact that there is a conversation at all. Why does H&C need to talk to Zabini if he’s just going to obliviate him anyway? Here’s one possible answer: he needs some information from Zabini.
I don’t think he needs Zabini’s report on the conversation — partly because he keeps talking afterwards, and partly because there are independent reasons to think that H&C is either Quirrel or an agent of Quirrel’s. (For instance, the “keyed into the wards” comment, as well as the fact that H&C exactly predicts Quirrel’s reaction to Zabini’s statement, and the fact that this statement ended up benefiting Quirrel.)
So what information does H&C need? Note that he tells Zabini, “The reward I promised you is already on its way to your mother, by owl.” In other words, Zabini was clever enough to insist that his reward go to a third party, leaving someone around to remember that he’s owed an award in case he’s obliviated. H&C seems to me to be turning the conversation at every step towards Zabini’s mother. Eventually, he receives the information that Zabini doesn’t know how his mother persuaded her last suitor to marry her.
It’s unclear why this information would satisfy H&C, but it does seem that he needs to take care of Zabini’s mother in some way (obliviate her, probably), and that he’s trying to figure out how difficult this will be. This seems reminiscent of Quirrel’s later behavior towards Auror Bahry — he tries to figure out exactly what Bahry knows and what the other aurors expect so that he can appropriately memory-charm him.
Huh! Given that it would create (what currently looks like) a completely irrelevant tangent to the main plot, I think the interview might have just happened so that the readers can see Hat-and-Cloak in action. The excuse could be that Hat-and-Cloak is addicted to monologuing to characters that ve’s about to Obliviate anyway.
I hope that doesn’t turn out to be the reason for the conversation to have happened — it’s a little unsatisfying. I guess another reason for H&C to need to talk to Zabini could be in order to use legilimancy on him. Presumably, in this case, to discover whether Zabini told anyone else besides his mother about H&C.
Edit: On reflection, this seems quite likely to me. H&C turns the conversation to betrayal, and if the plan is to use legilimancy on Zabini, then Zabini would need to be thinking about betrayals (and whether he has betrayed H&C) in order for the legilimancy to be useful.
So what information does H&C need? … H&C seems to me to be turning the conversation at every step towards Zabini’s mother. Eventually, he receives the information that Zabini doesn’t know how his mother persuaded her last suitor to marry her.
I think you might be overthinking things. H&C keeps bringing the conversation around to the consequences of serial betrayal. One off-hand remark (the “keyed into the wards” comment) leads Zabini to think about his guesses as to who H&C might be. The Obliviation only comes after Zabini thinks to himself that no one gave him a chance to sell out H&C.
Re Chp 35
I searched all the threads, and didn’t find any mention of this. There’s a hint in the conversation between Hat&Cloak and Zabini: namely, the fact that there is a conversation at all. Why does H&C need to talk to Zabini if he’s just going to obliviate him anyway? Here’s one possible answer: he needs some information from Zabini.
I don’t think he needs Zabini’s report on the conversation — partly because he keeps talking afterwards, and partly because there are independent reasons to think that H&C is either Quirrel or an agent of Quirrel’s. (For instance, the “keyed into the wards” comment, as well as the fact that H&C exactly predicts Quirrel’s reaction to Zabini’s statement, and the fact that this statement ended up benefiting Quirrel.)
So what information does H&C need? Note that he tells Zabini, “The reward I promised you is already on its way to your mother, by owl.” In other words, Zabini was clever enough to insist that his reward go to a third party, leaving someone around to remember that he’s owed an award in case he’s obliviated. H&C seems to me to be turning the conversation at every step towards Zabini’s mother. Eventually, he receives the information that Zabini doesn’t know how his mother persuaded her last suitor to marry her.
It’s unclear why this information would satisfy H&C, but it does seem that he needs to take care of Zabini’s mother in some way (obliviate her, probably), and that he’s trying to figure out how difficult this will be. This seems reminiscent of Quirrel’s later behavior towards Auror Bahry — he tries to figure out exactly what Bahry knows and what the other aurors expect so that he can appropriately memory-charm him.
Any thoughts on the matter?
Huh! Given that it would create (what currently looks like) a completely irrelevant tangent to the main plot, I think the interview might have just happened so that the readers can see Hat-and-Cloak in action. The excuse could be that Hat-and-Cloak is addicted to monologuing to characters that ve’s about to Obliviate anyway.
Also, welcome to Less Wrong!
I hope that doesn’t turn out to be the reason for the conversation to have happened — it’s a little unsatisfying. I guess another reason for H&C to need to talk to Zabini could be in order to use legilimancy on him. Presumably, in this case, to discover whether Zabini told anyone else besides his mother about H&C.
Edit: On reflection, this seems quite likely to me. H&C turns the conversation to betrayal, and if the plan is to use legilimancy on Zabini, then Zabini would need to be thinking about betrayals (and whether he has betrayed H&C) in order for the legilimancy to be useful.
I think you might be overthinking things. H&C keeps bringing the conversation around to the consequences of serial betrayal. One off-hand remark (the “keyed into the wards” comment) leads Zabini to think about his guesses as to who H&C might be. The Obliviation only comes after Zabini thinks to himself that no one gave him a chance to sell out H&C.